Hamtastic Surryano Ham

A number of years ago, I found myself stumbling at midnight through the streets of Florence, Italy with a colleague. We had done our fair share of drinking and were sufficiently sated from an eighty-course meal (I exaggerate) we had just happily consumed. Then we were both stopped dead in our tracks in front of a small charcuterie shop that appeared to be closing for the night. In the window was a display of Iberian ham (also known as pata negra), which is a tremendously sweet, and tremendously rare (at least to us Americans), Spanish ham raised on a steady diet of acorns and cured for 36 months. It is sliced paper thin, and the flavor is unlike what you would expect from any pork product  let alone ham. My colleague and I raced in, got a small dish of Iberian ham, and had one of those memorable culinary experiences that make a lasting impression.

Until 2005, Iberian ham, as well as Serrano ham, was not available legally in the United States, so we as ham-hungry Americans were left to dry imported prosciutto or domestic varieties that never quite accessed the transcendent qualities of this Spanish ham. While both Iberian and Serrano ham is now available, but hardly widely available, it is prohibitively expensive and only advisable as an occasional indulgence.

Enter Surryano Sliced Dry-Cured ham, a pasture-raised Berkshire pork from Surry Farms in the wilds of Virginia. A loving creation of Sam Edwards III (a third generation ham man from Virginia), Serryano is not exactly that rarified treat that is Iberian ham, but it is deceptively and deliciously close. Raised humanely and totally free of antibiotics or added hormones, this well-marbled, dry cured ham has been aged for more than 400 days, and the flavor certainly makes this fact abundantly clear. These paper-thin slices are sweet, smoky, and rich without being too dry or too salty, and are especially delectable alongside figs, and fresh cheese.

An indulgence to be sure, but the very American Surryano Sliced Dry-Cured ham is as memorable as any pork experience you will have.

Surryano Sliced Dry-Cured Ham is available in four-ounce packages ($26) and is sold at Food Emporium, Murray's Cheese, and online.

Travel down the grocery aisles with Eric as he keeps an eager, but skeptical, eye on the merchandise and foodstuff that fill the grocery shelves. Learn what's hot, what's not, and what's just plain weird, as he obsessively reads labels, admires packaging, dismisses misleading marketing ploys, and takes you along for some serious yet fun food shopping.
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